A dying man in his forties recalls his childhood, his mother, the war and personal moments that tell of and juxtapose pivotal moments in Soviet history with daily life.

Based on the novel of the same name by Grigory Svirsky. 1942 year. The Great Patriotic War. The navigator Bratnov was shot down during the war, was captured, fled, returned to his people, was demoted and sent to serve in the construction battalion. His old front-line comrade Major Kabarov accidentally met him and took him to his unit. Kabanov, knowing about the lack of experienced navigators, is seeking to transfer Bratnov to his air force in the Northern Fleet, in the Arctic, to a tiny rocky island — "to the ends of the world."